Plastic closure with outside ring and inside tube for beer and beverages



Apl'll 15, J B LO RER 3,438,529

PLASTIC CLOSURE WITH OUTSIDE IHNG AND INSIDE TUBE FOR BEER AND BEVERAGES Filed Nov. 27, 1967 Sheet 1 of 2 FIG. 2

J. B. LGHRER 3,438,529

DE RING AND INSIDE April 15, 1969 Sheet PLASTIC CLOSURE WITH OUTSI TUBE FOR BEER AND BEVERAGES Filed Nov. 27. 1967 FIG. 3

United States Patent Ofice 3,438,529 Patented Apr. 15, 1969 90,04 Int. Cl. B65d 45/02, 51/14, 59/02 US. Cl. 215-42 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A plastic bottle cap is constructed with an outer ringshaped edge which engages the lip of the bottle and an inner generally cylindrical sheath which extends into the neck of the bottle. A special configuration of the cap material between the sheath and the remainder of the cap permits the sheath to move to effect a tight closure.

The invention concerns a bottle cover cap made of an elastic or resilient material, preferably synthetic material, with a jacket encasing the neck of the bottle, an open generally cylindrical sheathing penetrating the neck of the bottle, and a bottom connecting the jacket and the sheathing. Such closing elements are used particularly for bottles which are to contain a gas releasing liquid; they serve especially for the closure of bottles for beer, lemonade or similar drinks.

It is the object of the invention to improve the sealing with an increasing inside pressure. Through the special development of the closure bottom, one will achieve that the outside of it will remain as flat as possible during use, even in the case of a considerable increase of inside pressure.

According to the invention, the bottom will have a base ring of the sheathing between an outside edge and a center disk, which ring is connected through articulated rings with the outside edge and the center disk. Such a development will impart to that part of the sheathing which is close to the bottom, and which in the case of the older designs of closing caps for bottles had an unchangeable diameter, a suificient movability, in order to adapt itself even to smaller diameters of the neck of the bottle.

It is particularly useful to make the inside articulated ring weaker than the outside articulated ring, since this inner articulated ring is compressed during use.

The center disk is preferably shifted in relation to the outside edge in the direction of the inside of the bottle. During introduction of the sheathing into the neck of the bottle, the base ring of the sheathing, in the case of such a development of the design, will tilt and will lift the center disk. At the same time, the base of the sheathing, for practical purposes, between the outside edge and the center disk will develop a step in its state or rest.

So that the tilting movement can take place without a flow, the outside edge will preferably have a reinforcing ring, whereas the center disk is preferably provided with an annular reinforcing rib. In order that the base ring of the sheathing may move in the desired manner, the outside wall of the sheathing will appropriately extend, starting out from the free edge, in the direction of the bottom and beginning with a point which has the greatest thickness in a direction parallel to the axis.

The invention will be further understood from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment taken with the drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a bottom view of a bottle cap embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view of the cap of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on the line II-I'III of FIGURE 2.

The cap as shown has a center disk 1 whose edge is reinforced by an outside rib 2. The bottom runs obliquely from this edge and fairly steeply outward, whereby it forms the inside articulated ring 3. The base ring 4 of the sheathing, which carries the sheathing 5 on its bottom side and which has an even limit toward the outside, follows this inner articulated ring 3. The transition from the sheathing 5 to the base ring 4 of said sheathing has been encircled on the outside by an annular groove 6, which together with the inside groove 7, which is part of the inside articulated ring 3, encloses a weakened spot of the sheathing 5. Through penetration of the outside annular groove 6 into the bottom, a weakened zone is created which serves as an outside articulated ring 8. This outer articulated ring 8, however, is considerably stiffer than the inner articulated ring 3. The outside edge '9 adjoins the outside articulated ring -8, which outside edge has a reinforcing ring 10 immediately at the outside articulated ring 8. The lower side of the outside ring 9 has the purpose of fitting the lip of the bottle.

The sheathing 5 broadens out on the inside, taken from the edge 11 in the direction of the bottom 1. 4, 9, so that a conic surface 12 will be developed here. The outside of the sheathing 5 at first broadens out quite strongly with the cone 13. Beginning with the zone 14 of the largest cross section of the material, the outside surface then runs at point 15 in a purely cylindrical manner and thus in parallel to the axis.

For removing of the cap, the 'latter will advantageously have a lifting tab 16, which may be stiifened by a tab support 17 against the outside edge.

The cap 1, 4, 9 is connected via a weakening line 18, which can have several interruptions in the vicinity of the lifting cam 16, with a jacket 20, which has a bead 21 on its inside which reaches below the edge of the opening of the bottle. An outside, axis-parallel reinforcing strip forms a joint 22 opposite the lifting cam 16. The head 21 can be slotted at point 23 in the neighborhood of this joint 22, so that the jacket 20 can be torn open here in the case of need or can be cut open.

If the closing cap for bottles, according to the invention, as shown in the drawing, is pressed onto the opening of the bottle, then, first of all, the edge of the bottle will press the conical surface 13 radially inward. At the same time, the sheathing 5 will first swing around the weakened zone between the annular grooves 6 and 7. The original cylindrical outside wall 15 of the sheathing has now a slightly conical shape. Upon further pressing down of the closing cap of the bottle, the inside diameter of the bottle will slide along the surface 15 and will thus decrease its diameter each time to the inside diameter of the opening of the bottle. The surface 15 will again resume its cylindrical shape, whereby, however, it now has a smaller diameter than it had before. During this movement, the base ring 4 of the sheathing is tipped around the reinforcing ring 10 upward. The outside articulated ring 8, which was extended during the preceding movement, will permit the surface of the base ring 4 of the sheathing to enter the outside plane of the reinforcing ring 10. Simultaneously, the inside articulated ring 3 is compressed and the center disk 1 moves outward under the starting excess pressure in the bottle, whereby it will preserve its even shape because of the presence of the reinforcing rib 2.

The center disk 1 likewise enters the surface of the reinforcing ring 10 with its surface, so that a smooth surface will be maintained practically throughout. The upper thinner part of the sheathing 5 between the annular grooves 6 and 7 is pressed in a two-fold manner against the inside wall of the bottle neck: on the one hand, the extended outside articulated ring 8 pulls toward the outside and, on the other hand, the compressed inside articulated ring 3 presses in the same direction. In this manner, one will obtain an excellent seal. On the other hand, one will obtain a smooth surface despite the originally graduated outside shape of the cap against which a tin-foil sheathing or something similar, which had been placed on it, will fit well.

What is claimed is:

1. A closure cap for bottles constructed of resilient material comprising: an outer lip-encircling portion adapted to engage the lip of bottle; a generally cylindrical inner sheath concentric with the lip-encircling portion for extending into the neck of the bottle, the sheath having a base and a free end; a relatively rigid center disk concentric with the sheath; an inner flexible ring portion integral with and connecting the disk with the base of the sheath; and an outer flexible ring portion integral with and connecting the lip-encircling portion, said flexible ring portions rendering the disk and the sheath movable with respect to the lip-encircling portion.

2. A closure cap as in claim 1 wherein the inner ring portion is weaker than the outer ring portion.

3. A closure cap as in claim 1 wherein the lip-encircling portion includes an integral reinforcing ring.

4. A closure cap as in claim 1 wherein the center disk includes a ring-shaped reinforcing rib.

5. A closure cap as in claim 1 wherein the sheath includes a substantially cylindrical outer surface near the base of the sheath and an inwardly inclined slightly conical surface near the free end of the sheath.

6. A closure cap as in claim 1 wherein the inner disk is offset from the lip-encircling portion along the axis of the cap in a direction toward the interior of the bottle.

7. A closure cap as in claim 6 wherein the base of the sheath is disposed intermediate the axial positions of the disk and the lip-encircling portion, thereby forming a step between the disk and the lip-encircling portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,285,451 11/1966 Golde 215 3,300,073 l/l967 Benz 215-46 3,380,610 4/1968 Krieps 215-41 GEORGE T. HALL, Primary Examiner. 

